My girl
by RositaLG
Summary: Imagine Tristan's surprise when he receives an invitation to Logan and Rory's engagement party. Starts Rogan and ends Trory.
1. Behaving

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Don't you look beautiful tonight." Logan said as Rory entered the living room of their apartment.

"Thank you. You clean up pretty good too." She said as he kissed her. He let her go and kept fiddling with his tie. "You're nervous." She said as she grabbed it and began helping him fix it.

"Well, a night with my parents will do that."

"It will be fine. There will be so many other people there to worry about, they won't even think about you." She patted his shoulder as she finished. "There."

"Considering it's our engagement party, I'm not sure how I feel about that statement. Thank you." He said as he admired her work in the mirror.

"Come on, the earlier we get there, the earlier we can leave." He pouted as she pulled him towards the door. "And if you're a good boy and you behave yourself, we'll get you a treat on the way home."

OOOOO

When Tristan walked into the room, he was immediately reminded of why he left all those years ago. Formal affairs were not his strong suit. Sure he could still schmooze and charm anybody in the room, but he always hated being reminded of where he came from. He was only here for one reason and that was Logan. He knew that his old friend would need him desperately tonight. He had been reading in the papers about Logan's failed business attempts and his new offer in California, but facing all those people again made Tristan's stomach turn. Most of them knew nothing of his life in North Carolina. There was another reason he was nervous. He had received the invitation out of the blue, shocked to find that Logan was settling down, but even more shocked at who had done the settling. Rory Gilmore was marrying his former best friend. He bought the plane ticket home immediately, if only to find out more details. Grabbing a scotch from the bar, he began looking around the room to find Logan. They hadn't really talked in a few years, but that couldn't be helped. In high school, they had been practically inseparable at these types of things, finding sub-parties and always creating a good time together, well what used to be considered a good time.

"DuGray?" He turned to face the reason for the occasion.

"Huntzberger." He set down his drink and prepared himself for a hug.

"I didn't expect to see you here tonight!"

"Well, you know me, I never miss the opportunity for a free bar. How are you doing Logan?"

"I'm doing well for someone who's about to get hitched. I want you to meet my girl, hold on." He looked behind him.

"Hey Ace. Come here, I want you to meet somebody." She excused herself quietly and walked over. Tristan reminded himself to breathe as she came closer. She was everything he had remembered her to be and more. "Ace this is my friend…"

"Tristan" She smiled as she interrupted him. "What are you doing here?!"

"Hey Mary, miss me?"

"You have no idea." She said as she gave him a hug.

"You two know each other?" Logan asked.

"Chilton." They said at the same time as they let go of one another.

"Oh right, I forgot you went to Chilton for awhile." He said as he patted Tristan on the back. "Hold on, I'll be right back, I see some people I need to talk to."

"Imagine my surprise when the invitation for tonight arrived in my mailbox." Rory smiled. "God, it's been ages since I've seen you. How are you?"

"I'm wonderful. I just graduated from Yale, I'm getting married." She felt stupid, of course she was getting married, that's why she was here. Why was she so flustered? Was it so hard to talk to him? "What about you?" She needed to change the subject and fast.

"Military school, UNC, I started my own business online, which is thankfully doing pretty well." He took a drink and remembered something else. "Mm, I have a daughter now." He added as if he forgot that Rory didn't already know that. Rory's shocked expression made Tristan laugh.

"You have a daughter." The disbelief was evident. "How old is she?"

"She's three."

"I don't know if I believe you." Tristan smiled as he pulled out his wallet. He handed it to her. "Her name is Regan."

"Oh my God, you have a daughter."

"So I've been told." He said with a chuckle.

"She's adorable." She had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Tristan, but round chubby rosy cheeks. "You have a daughter…I cannot wrap my mind around that."

"Well I couldn't believe it either at first, but it's been really… life-changing." She paused as she handed him back his wallet, listening to the extra something behind his voice. She instinctively glanced at his hand, no ring.

"And are you happy?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." For some reason, Rory didn't believe him.

"Good. I'm glad. And maybe sometime I can meet this daughter of yours." Logan dropped by again and wrapped his arms around Rory's waist.

"Thanks for keeping my girl occupied for me."

"No problem." He said as the couple began to walk away.

"Don't go anywhere, I want to catch up with you later." She said before getting out of earshot. Tristan nodded as Logan pulled her on the dance floor.

"Tristan has a daughter, did you know that?"

"Yes I did." He said with a smile. "I cannot believe you knew Tristan in high school. How weird is that?"

"I can't believe Tristan knew _you_ in high school." She smiled at him. "Although it does explain a lot about the two of you."

"Hmm, you think?" He gave her a twirl. She nodded. "Sad story though, about Tristan."

"What about him?" She asked. Logan paused.

"His girlfriend, she died about two years ago, right after the kid was born. They were T-boned by a drunk driver. Tristan was scraped up but fine, the daughter wasn't in the car, but Julia was on the wrong side. I remember hearing about it, I just didn't think calling would be a good idea."

Tristan watched as Rory's face changed, telling him exactly what the two were talking about. He grabbed his drink and left, refusing to face the pity that he knew would soon be doled out to him. Rory was a good girl, maybe the best girl, but he couldn't do that, especially here with her. It would be too sincere, and Rory didn't even know him now, she had never even known about Jules. Rory kept dancing as she watched Tristan grab his glass and go outside. 'Some things never change', she thought to herself with a sigh.

OOOOO

"I thought I would find you out here." Logan said as he approached Tristan. "Remind you of anything?"

"Years of childhood trauma." He said with a smirk. Logan let it get quiet. "So, Rory Gilmore." Tristan said with his old smile plastered on his face. "How the hell did that happen?"

"Long awful story that involved the usual Gilmore bantering and debates. She hated me at first."

"I've been there." Tristan said with a grin. Logan stopped smiling.

"Oh yeah?" Tristan saw the look.

"Come on, that's ancient history. We kissed once, she was on the rebound from her high school boyfriend…Dean. It didn't mean anything. They got back together. We were friends after that, for a little while anyway. Until I got shipped off."

"Right. I should have known."

"Known what?"

"Remember high school you? Or me for that matter? It wasn't all this nice family man stuff you have now." Tristan's jaw clenched.

"It's been great seeing you again Logan, but it's getting late. I gotta head out."

"DuGray, look I'm sorry. I didn't mean that I just…."

"It's fine. Congratulations by the way. I don't know if I told you that yet but you picked a winner." He said as he went inside, leaving Logan on the patio.

"I picked him actually." Rory corrected Tristan as she walked towards him. Tristan nodded.

"I know. It was nice seeing you again Rory. If you're ever in North Carolina…" Before he could finish his pleasantries Rory slipped a card into his hand.

"I do want to catch up. Will you be in town for much longer?" He shrugged.

"I leave in a couple of days."

"Coffee maybe if you're not too busy?" She offered. "Well, at any rate, you have my number."

"I do."

"Use it." He stared at it and smiled.

"I tried so hard to get this in high school. This silly little piece of paper." He held it up. She smiled a smile that Tristan didn't recognize.

"I know." She whispered, mocking his previous tone. Tristan realized that it was a knowing, teasing smile even and it shook Tristan to his core. She walked right past him headed towards the patio.

"Hey Gilmore." He turned around and caught her elbow. She glanced at her arm before turning to face him.

"He knows about the kiss." It was Tristan's turn to walk away from the conversation, leaving a slightly stunned Rory to pick up the pieces.

OOOOO

"You're Mary." Logan said without turning around to see her.

"I was, yeah." She said, shyly admitting her past to her future.

"I remember him talking about you."

"Really?" She chuckled at the thought of young Logan and Tristan discussing her.

"You cried, right?" She closed her eyes. "You did. It was you. He called you Mary tonight and I didn't even place…God I teased him about you for months." Logan was processing the information as it came back to his memory. "He really loved you back then."

"No, he really wanted to conquer me back then." Logan shook his head.

"No. He didn't."

"Well, it was good getting to see him again." She thought about adding her plans to see him later, but she didn't.

"Hey, when we started dating, were you on the rebound from Dean?" Rory paused.

"If by rebound you mean were you the first guy I dated after Dean, then yeah, I guess. Why?"

"You never cried when I kissed you." He said with a proud smirk. Rory smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

"No, I didn't." They kissed again, this time Logan pulling Rory in tight.

"So what about my treat Ace…did I behave myself enough tonight?" She smiled.

"I don't know, what do you think?"

"I think if it were up to me I would be naked right now." He said honestly.

"Hmm, so much for behaving…" She said as she walked inside.

OOOOO

Tristan snuck back into his old house quietly, afraid of waking anyone. His mother was sitting in the living room.

"Hello dear." She said with a smile. "How was the party?"

"It was nice, lots of old friends."

"How was it really?" She asked, knowing that her son would have to answer a lot of questions about his life.

"It was good Ma." He said as he kissed the top of her head. "Where's Regan sleeping?"

"Your old bed." He nodded as he began climbing the steps. He undid his tie and slowly opened the door to his old room. The sight of his three-year old baby girl sleeping in the middle of his huge king-sized bed made him laugh. Of all the girls he had tried to get into that bed, she was definitely the one he wanted there. He crawled in bed next to her and brushed the hair out of her eyes. She stirred to face him.

"Hey baby." He said as he kissed her forehead. "It's just Daddy. Go back to sleep."

"Daddy, your breath smells funny." She said. He laughed at her, silently regretting that last glass of Scotch and tucked her in tighter.

"Goodnight." He said sternly. "I love you."

"Love you." She curled up against his chest and he sighed. He thought his usual prayer, hoping that Jules was up there listening and slipped slowly into sleep.


	2. Playing

Disclaimer: The usual

Disclaimer: The usual

A/N: Thanks so much for the awesome reviews! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Rory stepped out into the bright May sunshine. It wasn't often that she had the time to just relax, but today was going to be that day. She planned on reading, just for fun, and ordering way too much food and watching movies. She grinned at her plans, thrilled to be done with graduation. Logan was back in California getting things ready for their big move so she had the entire apartment to herself. It was gorgeous outside so first she thought she would take a walk through the park. She stopped by her beloved coffee shop on the corner and bought her cup of coffee and walked down the block. After wandering throughout the park for a few minutes, she came to the playground. A little girl came running past her, dead set on getting to the swings.

"Oh. Excuse me." Rory said with a laugh, holding her coffee up so it didn't spill on the girl.

"Regan! Slow down! Sorry about that." Her father said.

"Don't worry about it. Swings are very important, probably the best part of a playground." She said seriously. Tristan's face showed his surprise as Rory turned to face him. "Hey, twice in two days!" She said as she gave him a hug.

"Come here often?" Tristan asked as he raised an eyebrow, reminding Rory of the old Tristan for the first time since his arrival.

"It was a beautiful day, I figured I'd go for a walk."

"All by yourself? Where's Logan?"

"He flew out to California this morning. He's getting everything ready before I head out there."

"Daddy! Push me!" Regan cried from the swings.

"Duty calls." Tristan said with a slightly embarrassed shrug. Rory smiled and walked over to the swings with him. "Regan, this is my friend Rory. Can you say Hi?"

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Hold on please." He said as he lifted Regan into the swing.

"You're good at this." Rory said with a smile. Tristan looked at her and rolled his eyes. "No, I'm serious. Fatherhood suits you."

"I bet you never expected to say that to me." She grinned.

"Even so, you look good." Tristan laughed. "You know what I mean." She blushed as Tristan watched her embarrassed laugh just a little too long.

"So," He said, turning his attention back to his daughter. "You're marrying a Huntzberger after graduating near the top of your class from Yale." Tristan said, pointing out her current state. She smiled. "A much different Rory Gilmore than I remember leaving at Chilton. Don't tell me that the dreaded elite of the school finally got to you."

"No, I waited until college to get pulled into the "dreaded elite", thank you very much. And it wasn't so much pulled kicking and screaming into society as it was jumping. Off of a tower of scaffolding. With an umbrella." Tristan looked at her surprised.

"There is no way that my little Mary is a member of the LDB."

"No, more of an honorary observer and occasional attendee. Let's just say that your high school years were very similar to my college years."

"You got shipped off to military school too?" He said, glancing over at her.

"Worse." She shook her head. "I dropped out of Yale, stole a yacht, was convicted of grand theft and joined the DAR."

"Well, well, well. Things certainly have changed for you and me haven't they?" She nodded.

"I guess so."

"Daddy, I wanna slide!" Regan said raising her hands up to be lifted out of the swing.

"To the slides?" Tristan asked.

"To the slides." Rory smiled.

As Regan played, Tristan and Rory got caught up with each other's lives. But Rory never asked about Jules or what had happened, and for that, Tristan was very thankful. The more he learned about Rory now, the more he wondered what had happened to that girl that he used to know. She had completely changed from who she used to be. It made him a little sad inside to think that she had gone through so much, but he had gone through a lot as well. It was just one of the parts of growing up, but Tristan couldn't help but think that Logan had a large part to do with the woman in front of him. It wasn't long before Regan had crawled up into his lap, obviously ready for her daily nap.

"Oh, somebody's tired." Rory said with a sympathetic smile.

"She played hard today." He said standing up. "Although I must admit, it was nice to talk to an adult."

"This was fun. If you ever need someone to tag along on your play date again, let me know." Rory said. Tristan smiled.

"Maybe next time we can get together without the screaming toddlers in the background." Rory considered his offer.

"What are your plans for dinner tonight?"

"Mac and Cheese a la DuGray." He chuckled. "Why?"

"I was going to order Chinese and sit in my PJs and watch movies." Rory said with a guilty smile on her face. "You two are more than welcome to join me."

"I think that sounds good, but I'll leave the little one at home. She's not much for Chinese food." Rory laughed as she pulled a notebook from her purse.

"Okay," she jotted down her address. "Eight?" He nodded.

"I'll see you then."

"It was nice meeting you Regan." Rory said as she walked away.

OOOOO

Why was this all of a sudden feeling like a date? Rory paced back and forth in the living room that she shared with her fiancé. It wasn't a date, she rationalized, it was just dinner and a movie. With a man who used to supposedly be in love with her. There was no way that Logan would approve of this. Like Logan was allowed to have any feelings toward her platonic relationships with other men. Where did that come from? He _was_ her fiancé; of course he was supposed to care. She would be concerned if he didn't care, right? The doorbell rang, springing Rory from her thoughts. She hurried to the door and glanced through the peephole. He looked good. It's amazing what a simple T-shirt and jeans could do. She decided it was time she opened the door.

"Hey! Come on in."

"Hi. I brought beer, I figured it was the least I could do."

"Beer is excellent. Just set it on the counter." She motioned to the Butcher's block in the middle of the kitchen.

"So this is the famous apartment." He said, looking around.

"Famous?" Rory questioned but Tristan didn't answer.

"It's very Logan." The doorbell rang.

"And that would be the Chinese." Rory said answering the door again. After handing the man his money, she took the bags. "Thanks!" Tristan glanced at the food.

"Are we expecting more people here tonight?"

"No, why?"

"You could feed ten with that much food." He said as she set the bags on the coffee table.

"Not when a Gilmore's eating. Dig in." She said as she tossed him a set of chopsticks. He broke open two of the beers and handed one to Rory. "Oh, movie. I have many. I didn't know what you wanted to see but I figured anything that wasn't Spongebob Squarepants would be appealing."

"That would be a correct assumption." He said. She opened the DVD cabinet next to the flat screen.

"Pick your poison."

"Anything? There must be hundreds of movies there."

"So I have a slight addiction. And yeah, anything." He went perusing. Suddenly he came to a movie that made him smile.

"The Godfather." She smiled.

"I should have known. Put it in."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you are a male, and therefore, love the Godfather."

"Who doesn't love the Godfather? You like it, you own it."

"Touché." He put it in and settled down on the couch. Picking up her Chinese, Rory grinned. This was going to be fun.

OOOOO

Throughout the entire movie, Rory and Tristan quoted, acted out, and discussed the vital scenes at length. As the movie ended, Rory got up to turn it off.

"I've got the second one…" she said, hinting at the possibility of a movie marathon without her mother. She had never had one of those before.

"I would love to, but I honestly should get back before too late. My poor mother has been babysitting a lot lately."

"Yeah, I know." She said half-defeatedly. "But it was worth a shot." She said with an evil grin. "Hey Tristan?" She asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Being a normal twenty something." He smiled.

"Sometimes. At first it was hard, because I was still in college, but I couldn't live a college life. So I'd stay up all night, taking turns feeding Regan with Jules because we'd both have classes the next day." He smiled at the memory. "But you get used to it, and you form a routine because it's necessary for your sanity and that old life just kind of… slips away." Rory knew he wasn't just talking about his college life.

"Do you miss her terribly?" She asked a little quieter. He nodded slowly.

"Every day. We always said that we would wait, you know, to get married. I wanted to do it right away when she found out she was pregnant, but she didn't want to look fat in her wedding dress." He laughed. "Then we wanted to wait so that Regan could be our flower girl, actually be in the wedding, you know?" Rory smiled and shook her head. "We thought we had all the time in the world." The nostalgia in his voice made Rory's heart hurt. "But, one car ride later and God had other plans for us."

"I'm proud of you Tristan. I, more than anyone, know how hard you must work." He took a breath.

"Oh yeah?"

"My mom had me when she was sixteen, only parent, no family to help her. It was just her and me for a very long time. I didn't even form a relationship with my grandparents until I went to Chilton. Trust me, you're doing a great job with Regan."

"Thanks. That makes me feel a little better for some reason." Rory smiled as he picked his head up a little. "I mean, you turned out pretty good." He said with a grin.

"I suppose so." They stared at each other for a little bit.

"I'm glad I came back here." Tristan said.

"I'm glad you came back here too."

"It's been nice, hasn't it?" Rory nodded.

"Yes, yes it has. I never, in a million years, would have expected to see you here, on my couch, drinking beer and watching the Godfather."

"I would agree." He said. The room got quiet as Rory watched Tristan smile. But the smile disappeared from his lips as he saw the look on Rory's face. She was staring at his mouth, but her eyes shot up for a moment to catch his stare. She leaned in, preparing herself for what was about to come. He unconsciously licked his lips as she came closer. They were centimeters apart, his warm breath tickling her cheek when she was suddenly snapped out of it by a single word.

"Ror." The one syllable said it all. She pulled away. "We…we can't do this."

"I know." She said, her breathing heavy. "Oh my God." She stood up.

"What?"

"I wanted to kiss you just now. I'm getting married in a couple months and I wanted you to… Oh my God."

"We didn't do anything, you're fine."

"I know but I should not, by any means, be thinking what I was just thinking. I mean, I love Logan."

"I know you do. Look, you and I, we've got some unresolved history, okay? But that doesn't mean that we did anything wrong. We're just going to have to keep this to ourselves, and maybe end the combination of alone time and booze." He added as an afterthought.

"Tristan, this isn't funny. You have to go." She said, not wanting him to leave, but knowing that he had to. His hand was already on the doorknob.

"Rory, calm down. You're fine." He said as he opened the door. Rory nodded as he closed it behind him. Standing in the hallway, he fell against the wall, taking in a deep breath. The truth was, he was just as freaked out about the incident as Rory was. He hadn't wanted to kiss anyone since Jules, but he was pretty sure that if Rory hadn't been engaged, things could have gotten heated in a heartbeat. The sexual tension between them was thick, and it scared Tristan to death.


	3. Lying

As Tristan ran out the door, Rory couldn't help but be shaken by the thoughts that had been streaming through her head

A/N: I haven't given up on my other story, it's just that this one seems to be flowing faster than I can type it so I'm going to focus on this one for awhile. Enjoy!

As Tristan ran out the door, Rory couldn't help but be shaken by the thoughts that had been streaming through her head. She had wanted him to kiss her, and intensely. The phone began ringing and she checked the Caller ID. It was Logan.

"Hello?" Rory said, trying to sound cool.

"Hey, it's me. How are you?"

"I'm great. How are you?"

"I miss you." He sounded sincerely miserable without her. Rory inwardly screamed at herself.

"I miss you too."

"Are you okay Ace?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You sound distracted."

"I'm sorry. It was just a long day."

"Oh yeah? Tell me about it."

"You don't want to hear about my day." She said honestly. "How is everything in California?"

"Things here are going according to schedule. I can't wait for you to see this house. It's going to be perfect."

"I can't wait to see it." Rory half-listened as Logan told her about his day. Thankfully, about halfway through his conversation, the other line beeped through. "Hold on Logan, other call." She pushed the button.

"Hello?"

"Listen, I'm sitting here with Luke and we were having an argument over who makes the best pizza in Stars Hollow and I thought you could settle it for us."

"Mom, Logan's on the other line, can I call you back?"

"Sure, but do it fast, this thing could get ugly." Rory hung up and picked up Logan's call.

"Sorry about that. Mom's having an emergency, what were you saying?"

"I was saying that I miss you and can't wait until you get here." For some reason, this call seemed to be never-ending for Rory. "Listen, I know when you are tired and distracted so you go deal with whatever you need to deal with and I'll call you back tomorrow when you're not so busy."

"Okay, I love you Logan." Rory said, truly meaning it this time.

"Love you too Ace."

OOOOO

"So you almost kissed him?!" Rory's head was buried in a pillow and she was sharing her previous night with Paris.

"I know!"

"Do you want to know what I think?"

"No." Rory said, her face still in the pillow.

"You need to get some closure with Tristan before you marry Logan. I know that you hate it when I say this, but it is really eerie how similar Tristan and Logan are."

"Ugh, Paris!"

"I'm just saying, you could just want to see what might have been with Tristan."

"Even if that were true, which it's not."

"It might be."

"Even so, he's a widower with a three year old daughter who lives in North Carolina. You don't just have a fling with somebody like that."

"What about a one-night stand?"

"Paris!"

"Well…"

"I knew I shouldn't have told you this." She stood up and began to walk out of the room.

"Rory, maybe your insecurities about your decision to marry Logan are bigger than you originally thought."

"What, are you saying I don't love him?"

"No, I know that you love him. I'm just saying that maybe this whole situation is less of an 'attraction to Tristan' thing and more of a 'second-guessing the marriage to Logan' thing." Rory shook her head.

"No, you're wrong. I love Logan." She walked out the door. But the more Rory thought about it, the more Tristan's life kept creeping into her thoughts. He never planned on giving up his college years, but responsibility came anyway. Now that she was out of college, she needed to make sure she would have no regrets after getting married. It was then that she came up with a plan. One that Logan would not like, but one that she had to propose anyway. When Logan came home from California, she would ask him.

OOOOO

"I have a proposition for you. One that you probably aren't going to like." She said, honestly afraid of what his reaction was going to be.

"Ace what are you talking about?"

"Well, lately I've been thinking about all the stuff I haven't done yet. I mean, you've had your opportunities to do stupid and crazy stuff and now you are ready to get married."

"And you're not ready to get married?" He said concerned.

"I'm not saying that."

"It sounds like you are."

"No, I'm just saying that I want the possibility to do something crazy without you getting mad or upset."

"You want to do the No-strings thing again? Because, that didn't work so well the first time."

"Here is what I'm asking. One night, no questions, no responsibilities to each other, just whatever happens, happens."

"Like the Bachelor's party?"

"Whenever. One night, some time between now and let's say a week before the wedding. That's a month."

"And you're serious about this?" Logan had no idea where this was coming from.

"I am. Look, I know this is coming out of left field for you, and I apologize for that. It's just that, meeting Tristan again,"

"Oh God." He put his hands over his face.

"Meeting Tristan again has kind of reminded me of what I used to want out of life and the fact that his life disappeared in a heartbeat is a lesson that needs to be taught. I don't want to go into this with any regrets of what I could have done. And you know me, there is a very strong possibility that I won't even be able to be wild and spontaneous." He looked over at her.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" He needed to know. Rory shook her head.

"That's the point of wild and spontaneous." Logan didn't like this at all, but he knew that this was important to her, and she was bringing it to him for permission, which was kind of cute. And it was Rory, she had never done anything wild and spontaneous without him before. And who knows, he might want to cash in on this deal as well.

"Okay." He said. "One night. Some ground rules. Not here, that's just insulting. No details, I never want to hear about it ever again."

"Ditto for me. Oh and be safe, I don't want a random baby showing up on our doorstep later." She shuddered.

"Deal." She shook his hand. "See this is why I'm marrying you. You are supportive and understanding and secure in our relationship." Logan laughed. He had never been accused of being any of those things.

"Weird isn't it?" He said.

"Mmm, not weird at all." She kissed him, making sure that he knew how much she appreciated him.

OOOOO

Rory knew what she was going to do next. She called up Tristan, who was surprised by her phone call.

"I have a question." She said bluntly.

"Hello to you too Mary."

"If you could have one night where there were no rules, no responsibilities, nothing tying you down, what would you do?" Tristan paused.

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been thinking about your life and I proposed a thought to Logan, which he accepted. He and I get one night, sometime in the next month, to do whatever we want. Twelve hours, that's it."

"And you don't know what to do with it?"

"I'm just asking, what would you do with it?" Tristan thought about it.

"I have no idea." He said honestly. "I don't have the ability to think about it anymore, so I just…don't."

"I can understand that." She said. "I figured it was worth a shot."

"Hey Ror?"

"Yeah."

"Are you actually going to go through with this?" He asked, curious at her sudden change of nature.

"I don't know. But I want to know that I could have, if I wanted to." Tristan nodded.

"I think, I think I would spend it with you." He said, the realization dawning on him. "Getting to know you again has been interesting. And there's always The Godfather Part II." He said with a laugh. Rory knew that he didn't mean sex. He just meant, spending time with an old friend. That was a good option.

"I'm glad. Maybe I'll fly down to North Carolina on a whim, sometime in the next month." She giggled.

"I'd love that."

"Goodbye Tristan."

"Bye Rory." As Tristan hung up the phone, he was flabbergasted at what she had told him. Logan had agreed to let his girl out for one night, which was ridiculous. He obviously didn't think she would go through with it, but Tristan knew that Logan would.

OOOOO

The next two weeks flew by for Rory, with all the final preparations for her wedding being put into place. She hadn't thought about her free night at all since her call to Tristan. She was just about to go meet Honor for breakfast when she spotted a very familiar blonde sitting at a table. She stopped in her tracks and pulled out her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Honor, it's me. I can't make it for brunch today."

"Oh, something came up?"

"Yeah. I promise we will reschedule sometime."

"Before the wedding okay?" Honor requested.

"Yeah, before the wedding." Rory hung up and walked over to the table. He was alone.

"I thought you were in California?"

"Hey…Ace…What are you doing here?" She noticed there was a purse on the seat across from him.

"I was just walking by." He stood up and whispered in her ear.

"Rory, my twelve hours is about to sit back down and if you want to keep to our agreement, I suggest you keep walking by." Rory smiled.

"You're right. Have a good time." She turned around and went straight to the airport, and she used his credit card.


	4. Agreeing

A/N: What you've all been waiting for

A/N: For Kajal, who wanted more daddy/girl interaction and for everyone else who wanted some more _adult_ interaction. This chapter's got a little bit of what you've all been waiting for.

Tristan was sitting at his desk trying to deal with a new business contract when he got a text on his phone. Sighing, he glanced at the phone's screen. Rory. His heart jumped, something had happened. He quickly opened the message.

_My 12 hours don't start til I get there. Expect me around 6 PM. I'm bringing the Godfather._

Tristan closed his eyes. Logan had done it. He silently cursed him for being able to do that to Rory. What if Rory was coming on her own accord? That sent a whole other meaning to her visit. Picking up the phone, he texted her back.

_Sounds good. C U then. _

He put his address under the message and sent it her way. What to do with Regan tonight? He dialed Caroline, Julia's sister, who had volunteered to babysit many times before. Hopefully she wouldn't mind another time.

OOOOO

"Regan!" He called as he ran down the stairs.

"What?" She was watching a movie in the living room.

"Do you want to have a sleepover at Aunt Caroline's house tonight?" Her face lit up and she started nodding.

"Okay, she said it was fine for you to sleep there tonight with Emily." They had only done this once before but it had been a success. "Do you want to help me pack your suitcase?"

"Yeah!" She said.

"Come on then." He picked up the remote and stopped the DVD.

OOOOO

"Why are you doing that?" Regan asked as she watched her dad's hands tapping the steering wheel. He stopped, suddenly aware of his actions.

"Daddy's just a little nervous." He said, moving the rearview mirror instead.

"What's nervous?" He paused, as if he didn't know how to answer.

"It's kind of like being excited and scared all at the same time."

"Why?" She said, concerned.

"Do you remember when we went to visit grandma?" She nodded. "And we went to the park? Daddy's friend Rory came with us? Well she is going to come visit again tonight and we are going to have supper together."

"That makes you nervous?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Are you excited to spend the night at Aunt Caroline's house?" She nodded. He picked her up off the floor. "You are getting to be such a big girl. Will you stop growing and be little forever?"

"No!" She said.

"No!" Tristan tickled her side and she laughed. "Well it was worth a try."

OOOOO

Rory's cab arrived about 6:30 and Tristan had been pacing for the entire 45 minutes before that. She had a small bag with her, but nothing that indicated she would be staying more than her allotted time.

"Thank you for letting me come."

"You're welcome." He said. "It worked out pretty well because Regan was having a sleepover at her cousin's tonight anyway." She didn't catch the lie.

"Oh, well that was convenient." She said, happy to know that she wasn't putting him out.

"I must confess, I didn't think you would actually do this when you mentioned it on the phone the last time we talked."

"Well, I figured I shouldn't waste my opportunity." Tristan looked at her strangely. "I caught Logan having breakfast with his." Tristan rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It was my idea." She seemed oddly comfortable with it. "I just didn't think he would go straight to having sex."

"Well, I'm glad you are here. Are you hungry? We could order some food."

"Yeah, I would love that." She said as she analyzed the front of his refrigerator. Lots of pictures drawn with alphabet magnets holding them up. While Tristan ordered the food, she gazed at the picture of Tristan, Julia, and Regan, when she was still a newborn. Julia had been beautiful. Long brown hair and the same cherub face that Regan had now. Tristan hung up the phone and watched as Rory looked at his former life.

"They look alike." She said, turning around with a smile. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

"A good thing. She acts just like her. Sometimes she gives me these looks and I can't believe they are two different people." He smiled. "The food should be here in half an hour." Rory nodded.

"Is this weird?" She asked. "Am I crazy for wanting to do this?"

"No, I think you know what you're doing." He said. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't need to be." She looked at him, knowing that she could get into trouble here, with him. He seemed to read her thoughts because he looked towards the living room. "Wanna start that movie?"

"Yeah."

OOOOO

This time, sitting on his couch, was very different for Rory. She just kept thinking about what she could be doing right now. What Logan would think she did with him when he got the credit card statement. Tristan picked up on this, of course, and about halfway through the movie grabbed the remote and stopped the film.

"What are we doing here Rory?"

"I don't know." She said, frustrated that she couldn't gather her own thoughts.

"It's just that, I'm having a hard time believing that you would travel all this way to watch the Godfather with me." She realized how stupid it sounded when he said it like that.

"You've always been this, maybe, in my life and I guess I just wanted to come down here to see what that could have been."

"Well you're not going to find out watching the Godfather." He said with a sigh. "You wanted to kiss me that night, didn't you?" He was going to have to be the proactive one in this situation. She didn't respond; she just looked at him, hesitated a second and then kissed him. It caught him off-guard to say the least. It was a slow lingering kiss that seemed to drown Rory's thoughts. Tristan broke the kiss first, forcing himself to pull away.

"I want to sleep with you." She said, matter of factly, her eyes still closed.

"Rory I haven't dated since…I can't do this unless I know it's going to count for something."

"Tristan, I know that this isn't what you want. It's not fair to you. You can't have women traipsing in and out of Regan's life. Or your life for that matter. I'm just asking, just this once, to let yourself go. She's three years old, she's never going to know. You can't tell me that you haven't thought about it, I've even thought about it and I'm getting married in a few weeks."

"Not helping your argument." He said.

"Please?" Rory was looking at him with those big blue eyes and he broke.

"It's been a long time Ror."

"That's okay." He thought about it some more.

"Okay." He nodded. She smiled and kissed him.

"Thank you." She said, her heart pounding as she pulled him closer to her. They kissed again and Tristan finally let go, letting himself enjoy the sensation of simply making out with her. Kissing his neck, Rory pulled the T-shirt off of him, relishing in the sight of his naked skin. He did the same, removing her shirt and kissing his way down her skin. Flashes of her at the engagement party and the night of their first date played across his mind as he wrapped her legs around him and carried her to his bedroom. She moaned as he laid her in his bed, the pressure of his body against hers driving her mad.

"Hurry." She said as he undressed himself. He laughed at her.

"You're beautiful." He said as he crawled over top of her.

"Yeah, yeah." She said, ignoring the comment.

"Hey, look at me." She was taken aback by the sound of his voice and did as he commanded. "You are beautiful." He kissed her shoulder. "Inside and out."

"Tristan." The sincerity in his voice caught her. "Come here." She kissed him, re-igniting the flame between them.

OOOOO

"You haven't done that in three years?" Rory asked as she caught her breath. Tristan shook his head. "Well that's just a waste of good talent." She giggled from the pillow.

"You're not so bad yourself." Tristan said.

"Was it everything you remembered it to be?" He shook his head.

"It was better."

"Good, I'm glad." She glanced at the clock. The inevitable questions were hanging in the air. What does this mean? Is anything going to change?

"Was this what you were looking for when you came down here?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know what I was looking for."

"Do you want my opinion?" She nodded. "If you really wanted to marry Logan, you wouldn't be here right now. You wouldn't want to sleep with me, because you would have what you needed."

"I know." She said, starting to tear up. She closed her eyes. "Why not? I mean I love him. We could make it work."

"You could make it work," he said, "but it isn't supposed to be work." He kissed her forehead. "Surely people have told you this before, but you can do better than him, and you deserve better than him."

"Tristan…"

"I'm just saying, he cannot be the best guy for the job."

"And who is?"

"I don't know anybody who deserves you. You're perfect." She wasn't expecting that from him. No one had seen her as innocent and sweet since her senior year at Chilton.

"Not even you?" She asked. Tristan started laughing.

"Do you find yourself wanting to move to North Carolina to date a stay at home father of one precocious three year old girl? Come on Rory, be serious." She thought about what Tristan's view on this whole situation was.

"This wasn't very fair to you was it?" She stated more than asked. "God, I show up on your doorstep, sleep with you, dump all my troubles and then bail without so much as a…" She was cut off by his lips on hers.

"I could have said no." He pointed out. "And if you had offered in high school to show up on my doorstep and sleep with me and then walk out, I wouldn't have let you finish your sentence."

"This isn't high school Tristan. And you didn't let me finish my sentence now either."

"See, not that much has changed." He said with a smile. He was stretched out next to her, his hands behind his head. Without thinking about it, she crawled in next to him and put her head on his chest. He enveloped her in his arms, pulling her in.

"How did I get here?"

"I ask myself that all the time." He said.

"What's the answer?" He shrugged.

"I don't know." He took a deep breath. "I was driving the car. Did Logan tell you that?" Rory froze and then put her hand over his heart. "One second we were laughing about the awful movie we had just seen and the next…" He didn't finish. "The only thing I know is that you have to figure out what's right for you and then do it, because you might not get a chance to fix it." Rory didn't respond. They were both lost in their own thoughts when the phone began ringing. Sighing, Tristan let go of Rory to answer it.

"Hello? Hey Caroline. No, it's fine, what's up? I hear that. No, I'll talk to her, put her on." Tristan shrugged his apology to Rory. She waved her hand. "Hey, what's wrong sweetie?" His face went from concerned to laughter almost instantly. "You think you're nervous? Well, what did you do tonight? Uh-huh. She did? You do? Okay, put your Auntie back on the phone. Hey, I'm gonna come get her. Yeah, I think so. Thanks for calling. Okay, bye."

"Is everything okay?" Rory asked as Tristan hung up the phone.

"Yeah," He rubbed his eyes from stress. "Emily apparently told Regan that there were noises coming from inside her closet and she woke up with a nightmare and won't calm down." He began getting dressed. "I'm gonna go pick her up." Once fully dressed, he glanced back at Rory who was still naked in bed. Rory laughed at his face. "This, right here, this is why I don't date. I don't want to go pick up my daughter from her cousin's house. I want to stay naked with the beautiful girl in my bed."

"I'll tell you what. You go pick up your daughter. I'll get dressed and stay at a hotel tonight."

"No." Rory looked at him. "You are not staying at a hotel tonight."

"Tristan, your daughter is about to come home, traumatized, and the first thing she's going to want to do is jump into bed with her daddy." Tristan closed his eyes. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"Fine, stay here, but get dressed. I'll sleep in her room with her until she falls asleep." He was just about to leave when Rory stopped him.

"Wait…" She got up and kissed him. "Now, go get your girl."

"I'm going." Tristan said as he kissed her quickly one last time.


	5. Leaving

Disclaimer: The usual

Disclaimer: The usual

A/N: I have never written a fic this fast in my entire life. Lol. My updating everyday had to cease, but there will only be a couple chapters left, maybe only two. But I will try to keep writing them succinctly and quickly. Thanks for reading!

Rory sat in Tristan's bedroom as she listened to him come back in. Sitting on the edge of his bed, she waited until she heard the door open before looking up.

"Is she asleep already?" Rory asked quietly. Tristan nodded.

"Fell asleep in the car. I just had to carry her in." He sat down next to her and rubbed his eyes. He could tell by the stillness that she was thinking about something serious. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

"That I'm way over my head and it's all my fault." He sighed.

"You'll get through it. No matter what you decide. You will always get through it."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're strong, and stubborn. Once you make up your mind, man, there is no swaying you. I tried once or twice, remember?" She laughed as he nudged her. "Nah, you'll be fine."

"Thank you." She said. "For everything. For believing in me, for letting me be selfish when it is awful for you."

"Stop saying that."

"It's true!"

"No, it isn't. If you don't believe me, we could do it again, right now." He said as he pretended to take off his shirt. She put her hand over his and stopped him with a smile.

"I should be going soon." She said, looking at the clock again.

"You've still got a couple more hours. Why don't you sleep here tonight?" Rory looked like she was debating it in her head, but Tristan started climbing into bed, disregarding any chance that she would say no.

"Fine, but only for a couple hours." She said with a yawn.

OOOOO

Rory was doing her makeup in Tristan's bathroom mirror when she heard the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the hallway. Pausing, she looked down when she heard them stop.

"Hi." The little girl said quietly.

"Hi." Rory said, smiling at the girl. She put her finger up to her mouth and welcomed her into the bathroom. "Daddy's still sleeping. Come in." Rory shut the bathroom door a little to keep out the noise.

"What is that?" Regan asked as she pointed to Rory's hand.

"This is lipstick. Would you like to try it on?" She nodded. "Okay, but it will be our little secret. Only big girls get to wear makeup." Rory smiled as she handed Regan a brush and showed her how to sweep it over her cheeks. She giggled at the sensation and kept doing it, over and over.

"I wanna try that." She said as she pointed to the lipstick in Rory's hand.

"Okay, can you make this face, like a fish?" Rory asked. She copied her face and sat very still while Rory put some lipstick on her lips. "Great. Look how beautiful you are." She said, pointing to the mirror. "One final touch, a little bit of perfume to make you smell pretty too." Rory said as she spritzed some on her neck.

"Wow." She was amazed. Tristan listened to their conversation while lying in bed, a lump growing in his throat as he thought about Regan's life without a mother. He knew that she was going to miss out on a lot of stuff as she grew up, but it never occurred to him that it would start so soon.

OOOOO

Rory caught Tristan's eye and motioned towards the door. He nodded and stood up.

"Regan, I'm going to go say goodbye to Rory." Regan didn't even look up. They walked towards the entryway and Rory took a deep breath.

"I'll call you to let you know what happens."

"Good." He said, clearing his throat. "That'd be good. Hey, thanks for everything this morning, with Regan." Rory smiled. "She really loved it."

"She's a lucky little girl. And you won't be thanking me when the first Sephora bill comes." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't remind me." He sighed, pushing the humor aside. "Are you sure you won't let me give you a ride to the airport?" He asked one last time.

"No, I'm fine. I really need to just go home, deal with…everything on my own." He nodded.

"Okay, have a safe flight and call me, whenever, if you need something." She nodded.

"I will." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye." He raised his hand.

"Goodbye." He said to no one as her taxi left the driveway.

OOOOO

Two hours later, Tristan was standing over Julia's grave.

"I know that you probably would hate me for saying this, but I feel like I need your permission. I think, I think I'm ready to start moving on." He said, the heaviness of the thought holding him still. "And I don't know how I feel about that. A part of me can't believe that I could ever feel anything like I felt with you. Another part knows that I need someone to help me raise Regan and give her someone to look up to. I guess, I was just wondering how you felt about the situation. So if you could give me a sign or something, that would be great." He sighed, laid the flowers down, kissed his fingers and touched the stone in front of him.

Turning around, he began to walk away when he saw something out of the corner of his eye that he had never seen before: a tombstone with the header Gilmore. It was new, but there was no mistaking it. Tristan looked up at the sky. "That was quick, even for you." He said, laughing slightly. "Thank you baby." He thought as he kept walking, this time determined that something good might come out of this breakup.

OOOOO

When Tristan arrived home, there was a black car waiting in his driveway. Parking in the street, Tristan got out of the car and hit the automatic lock on his key chain. He grabbed the mail out of the mailbox and slowly sauntered up to the house. He knew exactly who would be waiting for him.

"Where is she?" Logan asked from the front porch.

"She's not here." Tristan said, unlocking the door like this was a typical occurrence.

"She bought a plane ticket."

"I know she did. But she's gone. Twelve hours remember?" He said, as he set the mail down on the counter, never turning around to face him.

"What did you do?" He asked, knowing full well what they did.

"What did you do with yours?" Tristan replied.

"You son of a…" Logan started towards him.

"Seriously?!" Tristan turned around and put his hands on Logan's shoulders. "What are you going to do, hit me? I'm not going to fight with you Logan. You know that. Go back home, talk to your girlfriend."

"My girlfriend? Damn right she's my girlfriend and you just sleep with her!" He was seething at this point.

"She hasn't broken up with you, has she?" Tristan pointed out, his voice getting a little louder. "She's still your fiancé. Unless you want to change that scenario, which would be crazy if you want my opinion." He walked over to the door and opened it. "Go home Logan." He knew that Logan hated it when he was angry and no one would fight with him. "She's waiting for you." Logan left as the words echoed in Tristan's head. She was waiting for Logan, not me, he reminded himself. She's not yours.

OOOOO

Rory heard the door open to the apartment.

"Where have you been?" Rory asked. Logan laughed incredulously.

"Don't you think I should be asking you that question?" He said as he walked towards her. "I just got back from visiting an old friend. Let's just say he wasn't surprised to see me." Rory was shocked that he would fly down to North Carolina to find her.

"Logan, I…"

"Stop it Rory. Okay? This isn't a game." His voice rising with his temper. "I want to know what happened."

"You first." She said, defiance in her eyes.

"I was going to come home early to surprise you, but I ran into an ex on the plane back from California."

"You slept with her." Logan didn't answer.

"It's okay, just confirm it for me." Rory said, really wanting to know.

"I slept with her, because of _your_ deal."

"Okay."

"Then we had breakfast and she was gone. Twelve hours."

"That's fair. I went straight from your breakfast to the airport. I bought a ticket, packed my stuff, and was eating supper with Tristan by seven."

"He suggested that you two…" He didn't finish, the thought making him sick.

"Yeah." Logan got angry.

"Damn it Rory."

"So you can have sex with some ex-girlfriend, but I can't?"

"I asked you, straight out, what your intentions were. Why you were doing this, did you have anyone in mind? And you told me no."

"I didn't think that I would actually be able to go through with it!" Rory said, a little too loudly.

"But you did, Rory, you did!" He took a breath, not wanting to yell at her.

"Logan, I don't think we should get married." He froze, her voice so soft he was convinced he misheard her. "I know that this is last minute, but this is no way to go into a marriage." Logan shook his head.

"Rory, this is a fight. We've done this before, remember the Thanksgiving incident?"

"Yeah, I do. And I remember that I never really forgave you for that. And that was when we were separated, we weren't even together then! I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry. I love you Logan, but I can't do this." The tears were streaming down her face by this point. "I'll be back later for my stuff." She said as she picked up her purse and walked out the door. Logan sank down onto the couch, hardly believing that in 24 hours, his entire future had crumbled in on him.

OOOOO

Lorelei was surprised by the phone call announcing Rory's arrival; she definitely sounded upset. When Rory actually showed up on the doorstep; however, Lorelei knew that this was something major. Practically carrying Rory inside and sitting her on the couch, Rory began with the whole sordid story from the night of their engagement party to now. Lorelei sat and listened as her daughter wept through the details and when she was done, she held her. Unfortunately, she knew exactly what Rory was going through. When Rory had finally fallen asleep with exhaustion from crying, Lorelei sat and processed the scene in front of her. Logan had tried calling dozens of times, but now the house phone and the cell were off. Lorelei couldn't help but feel responsible. She knew that Rory was a lot like her in the relationship department. She also knew that she had never given Rory a reason to believe in something permanent when it came to love. Under this burden of guilt, Lorelei took her turn at crying. She knew what she had to do.

OOOOO

Luke was just closing up the diner when Lorelei came knocking frantically at the door. Unlocking it, he watched as she opened it in a hurry.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"Did I break her?"

"What? Lorelei what are you talking about?"

"Rory, did I wreck any chance she has at a future?"

"Lorelei, you are a great mother. What is this all about?"

"She broke off her engagement to Logan."

"What?"

"She's getting cold feet, she doesn't want to, she told him she didn't want to marry him anymore. This is all my fault." Lorelei said, tears starting to flow all over again.

"Here, sit down." He said, pulling up a chair for her.

"I could never get my act together. Not with Chris, not with Max, not with you." Even Luke's tough heart broke at her tears. He was the one who ruined the situation with Lorelei; that had nothing to do with her. "She doesn't know how to have a long-term relationship."

"Look, Rory is a smart kid. If she doesn't want to get married, she obviously has a good reason. This is nothing that you did. Okay?" Lorelei looked up at him with her wet, dark blue eyes and sighed.

"You really think so?"

"I know so. This has nothing to do with you. I mean, Rory has had a lot of long term relationships. Logan, Dean, Jess. She knows more than you give her credit for." She nodded and sniffed.

"I'm sorry. I was just so… freaked out, you know? I want her to have a chance at the forever thing, at marriage." Luke nodded. Suddenly realizing the awkwardness of the situation, Lorelei stood up. "I should get home to Rory. She's going to be needing someone to talk to." Luke stopped her and grabbed some food out of the kitchen.

"Here, for Rory." He said.

"Thanks for everything." She said as she walked out of the diner. And just like that, she was gone.


	6. Waiting

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Tristan's day kept getting longer and longer. Rory hadn't called and it had been three days. THREE! He knew that he couldn't be with Rory, nor would she want to be with anyone right now, but she promised to call and let him know what happened. What if nothing had happened? The thought filtered into his head, immediately causing panic. He hadn't heard that the wedding had been called off, and it was supposed to take place this weekend. He was feeling desperate for any sort of news so he did the desperate thing; he called his mom.

"Tristan! I was expecting to hear from you. How is everything?" She knew full well what information he was looking for. It had been the talk of the town for the past two days. Logan and that Gilmore girl were calling it quits. It was quite the current scandal in Hartford.

"Nothing much, Regan is good." He thought a few seconds. "Why were you expecting to hear from me?"

"Well I figured you would want to know about what happened to Logan." Tristan's heart stopped. "It's been quite the conversation here in town." He cleared his throat and pretended not to care.

"What happened?" Laughing to herself, she continued.

"Well, apparently the wedding has been called off."

"Really?" Did that really just sound as hopeful as he thought it did? "That's horrible." He said, correcting his tone. It was then that Marie DuGray began to suspect there was another reason her son was calling.

"For who? It's no surprise that Logan is going to turn out just like his father, I think the girl was smart to call the whole thing off when she did. We don't need another Shira Huntzberger in this world." Tristan shuddered as he realized that Rory could have very well ended up like Shira.

"Rory called it off?" He asked.

"Oh, so you know her?" She was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Um, yeah, she went to Chilton with me."

"Oh, what a small world." It was then that the pieces of her son's visit to Hartford seemed to make more sense. It wasn't like Tristan to go to any parties involving society, let alone one for an old friend he hadn't seen in years, but if he were interested in this girl, he would of course come back and endure all the torture that came with it.

"Yeah, I thought I told you that." He said, trying to play it off.

"No. You didn't."

"Oh, well, we did."

"Tristan Michael, do you honestly think that I don't know why you are calling me?" She pulled out the mother tone.

"What are you talking about?" This time Tristan was honestly confused.

"You like this girl don't you?"

"Mom…"

"It's okay, you don't have to hide away forever just because of one sad accident. I'm glad that you are trying to date again. You should. Julia would have wanted it that way. Plus you need a mother for my granddaughter. You certainly can't raise her by yourself." Tristan couldn't take the same old mothering speech any more.

"Hanging up now." Tristan said as he did just that. Smiling, Marie nodded, proud of her son for moving on, and curious about how much of a role he had in ending the wedding of the century.

OOOOO

Rory had been hiding away in Stars Hollow for five days. She hadn't worked up the nerve to go back and collect her stuff from Logan's place so she had hired people to do it for her. Everything had been in boxes anyway for the big move so it was easy to carry away. Her mother had handled the grandparents, who were so disappointed they didn't know what to do with themselves. Rory felt bad for letting them down, but she knew that she had made the right decision. Everyone was telling her so. But she still needed to call Tristan. He was the one person who had helped her make this decision, but everyone was refusing to let her be alone in her 'hour of need' so finding the time to call was difficult. Then, when she did get alone time, she couldn't work up the nerve to do so. She must have tried calling a dozen times, but every call ended before the first ring. Finally, taking a deep breath, she did it. As the phone was ringing, her heart was pounding in her ears.

"Hey." Tristan's voice sounded relieved.

"Hi."

"How are you?" He cringed, regretting it as soon as it came out.

"I've been better. The wedding's off."

"Yeah, I figured."

"I mean, I'm hurting, but everyone has been treating me like I was in high school again."

"How so?"

"Like I'm angelic and fragile and this is all his fault. Honestly, it's driving me crazy." She realized, surprised to admit that to someone aloud.

"Well, they care about you." They aren't the only ones, he thought.

"I know, but I did it. I broke it off, this is all my fault, not his."

"This isn't anyone's fault. It just didn't work out."

"I'm tired of being treated like I'm made of glass."

"Well, then show them you're not." His tone surprised her even more than her last comment. He made it sound so simple. "Remember what I told you, you are one of the strongest women I have ever known. Don't let them treat you like you're not. You stood up to me when I treated you like a Mary, so what's different now?"

"You called me Mary, you never treated me like one." She reminded him. "In fact, you treated me exactly the opposite."

"Look, I'm just trying to help." She could practically hear him smirking over the phone.

"I know."

"Thanks for calling." He said, wondering how much to tell her. She knew there was something he wanted to say. "I was getting worried about you."

"Thanks for listening to me, for getting me through this. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"It helped me too, you know. I think, after all of this is said and done, I'm going to try dating again." Rory took a breath and smiled.

"That's good Tristan. That's really good. You deserve to be happy again."

"I figure it's about time. I'm running out of excuses."

"Speaking of which, how's Regan?" Tristan rolled his eyes.

"She's begging for makeup for her birthday." Rory laughed.

"I told you. When's her birthday?"

"June 2nd, she's growing up way too fast."

"Just hold on to the moments when you still like her, it will make it much easier when she's a teen and you want to lock her in her room forever." Tristan laughed.

"I'll try." The chat continued for a while until Lorelei stepped into the kitchen. Hearing her daughter laugh was a relief, but her presence was obviously hindering the conversation. Rory, when noticing her mother, quickly stopped the conversation and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Lorelei asked.

"Tristan, he just wanted to make sure I was okay. I promised him I would call."

"You sounded happy for a while. That's good." Rory nodded cautiously. "Can I ask you a question? If you hadn't met Tristan, do you think you would be getting married this weekend?" Rory paused.

"Yeah. He showed me how much I have changed since high school, how much I still want out of life before I settle down, how much family means and how quickly it can be taken away. We talked a lot, about a lot of different things, and I think we helped each other grow. At least, I hope I helped him as much as he helped me." Lorelei was thrown by the answer given to her.

"Do you know what that sounds like?" She asked her daughter. At Rory's confused face, she continued. "It sounds a lot like love."

"No, I don't love Tristan. He was just the right guy who had something to teach me at the right time and vice versa." Rory was getting defensive. "I don't even know him. I mean, first of all, he's got a daughter and a life in North Carolina, so it would never work even if I wanted it to."

"So you've thought about this."

"No! I'm just saying that…" She groaned in frustration at not being able to communicate what she wanted to say.

"Rory, it's okay to be confused about this. You've been through a lot in the past month."

"I'm not in love with Tristan."

"Okay."

OOOOO

"I think I'm in love with Tristan." Rory said as she sat down next to her mother a month later. Putting down the magazine, Lorelei tried to catch up.

"I'm sorry, did you just say what I've been telling you all along?"

"Not now!"

"Sorry. What brought this on?"

"I had a dream last night, about him."

"Got it." Lorelei said, stopping short of details. "Was it good?"

"Mom!"

"Well, you've got to tell him."

"About the dream?"

"About the way you feel. You're really freaked out about this, aren't you? Have you really been in denial that much? I think that's a record, even for you."

"I don't think I can very well just drop it into one of our conversations." She said.

"You'd be surprised. He told you he was ready to start dating, but has he met anyone?"

"I don't think so. At least, he hasn't mentioned it."

"See, maybe he's waiting for you."

"A thousand miles away?"

"You never know until you ask." Rory sat down and pondered how she was going to get her feelings across a phone line.

OOOOO

"Hey Tris, I have a question."

"Shoot." He said. He was standing in his kitchen, phone tucked between his shoulder and ear, trying to multitask as he cooked spaghetti.

"How would you define our relationship?" Nearly dropping the phone in the water he was boiling, he stopped what he was doing and held on tighter to the phone.

"Wow, all this time and I still never see that coming."

"Sorry, out of the blue I know. I get that a lot."

"Well, I would say that right now," he made sure to emphasize those two words, "we are friends. Where is this coming from Rory?" He said seriously.

"I've been thinking about it."

"About what?"

"About you and me, and what this is. I mean, honestly, you can't believe that we've just been talking all the time because we are friends."

"Do you want more?" Rory took a deep breath. "Rory?"

"Yeah, I think I do." Tristan was finding the task of breathing difficult. "And I know how ridiculous that is, all things considered, but…I really like you Tristan." He freaked out a little and put the phone back to his ear.

"I like you too Ror, but it's going to be hard."

"I know. But we could make it work, at least I think we could. It's worth a try."

"Okay, so we're testing the waters, as it were?"

"Well, can we call it seeing each other if we don't actually see each other?" Rory pointed out.

"I don't suppose so." He chuckled. "Okay, I'm in."

"Me too." Rory said.

"Good." He smiled.

"So, when can I come visit?" She asked with a smile.

"Regan's birthday is coming up, I know that she'd love to see you." He said with a huge smile on his face as they continued talking.


	7. Partying

A/N: Second to last chapter

A/N: Second to last chapter. Enjoy!

"Where have you been?" Lorelei asked as Rory came in with 5 shopping bags.

"Do you know how hard it is to find an outfit that says both, 'Hey, I'm good with kids,' and 'I want to sleep with you?'"

"What a conundrum." Lorelei said, mocking her.

"Mean." Rory said, sticking her tongue out at her mother. "I want this to go well."

"Okay," Lorelei said, giving in. "Let's see what you bought."

OOOOO

Caroline came in carrying a couple dozen cupcakes and a present. Tristan smiled at the sight as he took the stuff from her arms.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted her first birthday party to be special."

"So you made her hundreds of cupcakes?"

"Let me spoil my niece, please?" She said as she kissed his cheek. "She's four and she deserves it."

"Hey, I haven't told you this yet, but I've kinda got a girl coming today." She stopped and looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you mean, kinda?"

"Okay, I do. Have a girl. Who is flying in today." Caroline took a step back.

"When did this happen?"

"That night I asked you to baby-sit because an old friend was in town?"

"That was nearly a month ago!" She said, shocked. "You're just telling me this now?"

"I didn't know how to tell you." He said, his face getting serious. "I mean, you're her sister, I can understand why you wouldn't be thrilled about the idea." He whispered as the kids came in.

"Daddy, I got more presents!" Regan said with a grin.

"Great! Can you go put them on the pile?" He asked, shooing her out of the kitchen again.

"Look at me," He followed her direction. "I am her sister, which means I have the right to do this." She smacked him in the arm.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his arm.

"It's been three and a half years Tristan. It's time to move on. Now, give me the lowdown on this girl so I don't hound her for facts."

"We went to high school before I got shipped down here. I fell for her when I was 16. She hated me."

"Smart girl."

"Very. She just graduated from Yale, journalism major. She just ended an engagement."

"She was engaged?"

"Until recently. To a real jackass."

"So you're her rebound guy?"

"She's my rebound girl." He pointed out.

"You've agreed to mutually rebound with a girl you haven't spent any time with since you were 16." Tristan didn't answer; he just raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Caroline hit him again. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You have got to stop hitting me that hard." He said, annoyed at her actions.

OOOOO

When Rory got to the house, the party was in full swing. Little kids were running everywhere and of course, Rory loved every second of it. Walking into the kitchen, she found Tristan.

"Hey you." She said with a smile.

"Hey!" He said. "Come on in, the place is a little hectic right now as you can see. We were just about to open presents."

"Oh good. That's my favorite part." She said as she kissed his cheek. "I came prepared." She said, raising the pink bag in her hand.

"You didn't have to do that." He said.

"You're gonna hate it." She said with an evil grin.

"Come on, let's go." He put his hand on her back and guided her into the living room.

"Daddy, can I open presents now?!" Regan and five of her closest friends were riding a sugar high.

"Yeah, go ahead." Rory snuck her present in the pile and sat down next to Tristan on the floor. Caroline whispered something to her husband and then watched the scene before her unfold. Regan began tearing into her presents as Tristan helped her read the cards and let her know who the presents were from.

"Okay, this one is from Rory." He said as he handed his daughter the bag. She opened it and inside was a plastic caboodle, filled with all sorts of little girl make-up and hair accessories as well as a DVD.

"Enchanted!" Regan smiled as she held it up.

"Tell her thank you." He said, just as he had ten times before. Regan ran over and gave Rory a hug.

"Thank you." Rory smiled and hugged her back.

"I'll help you try the stuff on later, okay?" Regan nodded. "Okay, go have fun."

"There is one last present, from me." Tristan said as he opened the back patio and brought in a pink bike with training wheels, streamers and a horn. It was wrapped with a pink bow on the seat. Regan's eyes got wide as she went running over to the bike.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She said, jumping up and down.

OOOOO

While Tristan helped his daughter ride around outside on her new bike, Rory went into the kitchen to get some food.

"Hi." Chad said as he put out his hand. "I'm Chad, Caroline's husband." Rory smiled.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Rory."

"It's very nice to meet you Rory. I must say, Tristan surprised us all this morning by telling us you were coming today."

"Really?" Rory looked nervous.

"Good surprise, don't worry." He said. "It's been a long time, but he looks happy."

"Good. He deserves it." She said, looking out the window. It was then that Caroline came in with a new batch of cupcakes.

"Honey, this is Rory. I like her already." Chad said as he picked up another cupcake. "Rory, you have to try these, they are awesome." Rory laughed.

"Hi Rory, Caroline."

"It's a pleasure. Tristan has told me so much about you two and all you've done for him. He's very lucky."

"We're very protective of our family down here." She said. "Don't go hurting him on his first outing. I don't think he could take another heartbreak."

"Trust me, I'm the daughter of a single mother. I know exactly what dynamics I'm getting into here, and I wouldn't do it if I thought that it was going to be a short-term thing."

"So you think this is serious?"

"I hope so, all things considered. Wow, he wasn't kidding, these are really good cupcakes." Rory said with her mouth full. She swallowed as she noticed the face Caroline was making. "He didn't tell you did he?" Caroline shook her head.

"He didn't."

"That is such a DuGray thing to do." She shook her head. "He refuses to admit it, but sometimes the genes just shine through." She took a breath. "I broke off an engagement for this." She said. "To Logan Huntzberger, Tristan's best friend back in Hartford and the heir to every major newspaper in the Northeast. I basically blacklisted myself from working and ruined a relationship and a friendship all in one go." Rory paused. "But now, I'm talking too much, so I'm going to stop before I get myself into trouble." Caroline gave a long whistle.

"Here, have another cupcake." Caroline said. "You're gonna need it."

OOOOO

Tristan was saying goodbye to all the guests, the last of whom were his relatives. Caroline caught him by the arm and swung him towards her.

"I just talked to Rory." Tristan looked at her and knew that he was supposed to apologize for something, even if he didn't know what it was.

"I'm sorry?"

"She told me everything! And I just had to act surprised. You ruined her engagement? To your best friend?" She hit him again, this time in the back of the head.

"OW! Seriously?!"

"She's given up any chance of a career or life back in Hartford for this." She motioned her arms around her.

"First of all, I didn't ruin her engagement. She could have stayed engaged and had an awful life with a terrible husband, who, by the way, is not my best friend. I haven't even spoken to the man before this whole event since I was 16."

"Like Rory?"

"So not the point." He said. "Even my mother was happy that she got out of it when she did and she's never even met Rory. I might have showed her something that she could learn a thing or two about, but she ended that mess on her own. Secondly, Rory is smart, she can do anything she wants to and will have her pick of jobs anywhere she chooses. Thirdly, Rory isn't moving in, we aren't getting married so you have no reason to assume that she is leaving her old life for this." He mocked her gesticulations.

"Tristan, I'm being serious. There is a girl in that house who gave up a lot for you. I told her about how much we love you and we don't want you to get hurt, but, right now? I'm more worried about her. She wants serious, and if you can't give her serious, then I suggest you let her know." Tristan thought about what she said as he walked back in the house.

OOOOO

"Is it possible to be drunk on cupcakes?" Rory asked as Tristan finally sat down on the couch next to her.

"Why, how many have you had?"

"Three," Tristan looked at her. "Okay four. But they had sprinkles." She said, a guilty look on her face.

"Are we feeling a little jittery?" He asked.

"Maybe. I talked to Caroline, a lot." Rory said, revealing that she probably said too much.

"She told me." He smiled. "They like you." He was going to say more but was interrupted.

"Daddy, can we watch my movie?" Regan came barreling into the living room. She looked at Rory.

"Don't look at me." She said. "It's his decision." She pointed to Tristan.

"I don't know. You've got a bedtime in a half an hour." He thought about it. She hooked Regan around the waist and whispered in her ear.

"But it's my birthday." Regan said and stuck out her lip. Tristan rolled his eyes, unable to say no.

"Yeah, that's fine." He said, "But let me help you put it in." As the three sat down to watch the film, Regan danced and sang along to the songs. Tristan couldn't help but follow the other storyline. About a single father finding his princess, who of course, was engaged to a prince. It sounded way too familiar. He glanced over at Rory.

"I swear to God, I had no idea." She said, picking up on the vibe as well. "I'd never seen it. I asked the guy behind the counter what a good kid's movie was." Tristan couldn't help but laugh at her face, showing the visual he was currently experiencing. When the movie ended, Tristan picked his daughter up off the floor and brought her to her room. Emerging once again, he sat down on the couch.

"I'm supposed to tell you that she wants you to help her put her makeup on in the morning." He said, giving Rory a glare.

"I'd love to."

"You are a terrible influence on my daughter."

"Thank you!" She said, "Happy to help." He smiled at her smile and leaned in to kiss her for the first time since her arrival that afternoon.

"You're also a terrible influence on me." He admitted.

"How so?" She said.

"Wearing that skirt to a preschooler's birthday party? Tsk tsk tsk." He said. "My mind has been residing in the gutter all day."

"What about this skirt?" She asked, not knowing what he was talking about. The subtle mix of teacher by day, sex by night thing, he thought. He was the only one in the room who knew what was really underneath that outfit. He had no idea how she could look so put together, but every once in a while, a flash of thigh, or messing with the clip in her hair, God it had nearly killed him. He was suddenly reminded of why she had achieved the nickname Mary in the first place.

"The sweet and innocent thing. It's working for you, Mary." He said as he looked her up and down again.

"Giving in so easily?" Rory kissed him again. "I thought you were a man who liked a challenge."

"After everything we've gone through? Right now I think we deserve a little easy." He said.

"Okay," She said, moving off of him and sitting back on the couch. "Go ahead. Tell me what you were thinking all day." She crossed her legs and sat there. Tristan grinned.

"Seriously?" She nodded. "Okay." He moved so that he was on his knees in front of her. He reached up and undid her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders. He kissed her knee as he ran his hands up her calves, causing her to shiver and shift in her seat. His hands moved up to her thighs as he uncrossed her legs. He kissed the inside of her thigh and Rory sighed, the anticipation already getting to her. He was moving up as Rory realized what they were about to do.

"Tris, what about Regan?" She said, her breathing heavy. Pleased at the effects of his work, Tristan paused and looked up at Rory.

"She's completely exhausted." He stood up and began kissing her neck. "We're fine."

"Tristan." She said, knowing that they had to move.

"Okay, okay. We'll move." He said, picking her up and carrying her to his bed. "Better?" He asked, as he laid her down.

"Not until you keep doing what you were doing." She said with a wicked smile as she rested her small, pedicured foot on his shoulder.

"Yes ma'am." He said with a smirk.


	8. Overthinking

A/N: Last chapter…I think

Rory felt Tristan kiss her bare shoulder as she woke up. With a tired smile, she shifted to see his face.

"Good morning." He said quietly, his voice still groggy with sleep as his lips brushed across her skin.

"Mhmm." Rory said, closing her eyes again.

"You hungry?" He asked.

"After last night?" Rory said like it was more than clear what her answer would be. "I'm starving."

"Good." He said proudly, the dirty thoughts shuffling through his mind. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Anything."

"Okay," he said, preparing to get out of bed. Rory did not care for this idea and she pulled him back to her.

"Where are you going?" She whined, still not fully awake.

"To make food, to feed my girls."

"Not yet." He fell next to her and she lay on top of him. "It's so early."

"Regan's been up for at least a half an hour." He said. "I gotta get up."

"You promise food?" She said softly.

"I promise." He said as he pushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "But you've got to let me get to the kitchen."

"Fine." She said, letting go of him. "I'm going to shower and then I'll be in there." Tristan paused to watch Rory slide out of bed. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." Her sing song voice making him chuckle. She never even looked back as she shut the bathroom door. Tristan didn't know how, but she had caught him.

"See if I feed you." He muttered to himself.

OOOOO

Rory helped Regan put on her makeup that morning, just as she promised she would. Afterwards, she decided it would be fun to take a little shopping endeavor.

"I think I'm going shopping today." Rory said at the breakfast table. "Know of any good places?" She asked.

"The mall?" Tristan offered, obviously not a big shopper. Rory smiled and hit him with a section of the newspaper she was reading.

"Can I go?" Regan asked. Tristan looked over at her, surprised by her uncharacteristic outgoing behavior.

"Of course you can, if it's okay with your dad." He nodded. "Girl day!" Rory said, excitedly giving her a high five. Regan's eyes lit up as she mirrored Rory's enthusiasm.

"Go get dressed and then you can go." He said as she hopped down from her chair. He waited until she was out of the room before turning to Rory. "That was so unlike her, she's usually shy." Rory stood up and got behind him.

"Shopping is just like loving makeup, it's in our DNA." She said in his ear as she rubbed his arm.

OOOOO

"Did you have a good day today?" Tristan asked as Regan climbed into bed.

"Yeah."

"I liked your new clothes, they were very pretty." He tucked her in.

"Daddy?"

"What?"

"Do you love Rory?" Regan asked, out of the blue. Tristan stopped and stared.

"Why would you ask that?" He said, his heart pounding in his chest.

"You kissed her, in the kitchen." She said. Tristan smiled.

"You saw that?" She nodded. "Well," he sighed, "Rory and I are dating. We care about each other, and that means that sometimes we are going to kiss. You like Rory, don't you?" She nodded. "Yeah, me too. She's a good friend to us, isn't she?"

"She tells me stories and takes me shopping. Just like on Enchanted!"

"Exactly, but I promise, it's still going to be me and you for a while okay?"

"Okay." She said.

"Okay, goodnight."

"Night." Tristan got up and shut the door.

OOOOO

"That was fast." Rory said as she put down her book.

"Can we talk?" Tristan said as he sat down.

"Of course." Rory said, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." He said, rubbing her knee. "I just, I'm wondering what you want out of this relationship. I mean, I know you said that we would just see where it took us, but…this is a long distance relationship."

"I know."

"And I'm curious when we will get to see each other again after you leave tomorrow."

"I know."

"And I'm worried about how Regan is going to deal with this." Rory sighed. "She loves you and if something were to not work out or the distance gets to be too much, she would be devastated."

"She would be devastated? Or you would be?" He didn't answer. "Tristan, where is this coming from? This morning you were completely fine with the idea of us being together. We had breakfast, Regan and I went shopping, it was a great day."

"It was, but reality is starting to kick in." Rory pulled his face towards hers.

"Look at me. I'm not expecting a serious relationship from you. I understand that you need to do what you think is best for your family. I also know that if you want to go slow, I'm willing to wait for you, at least for a little while. And if you aren't ready for a relationship, I hope that you would let me know."

"I'm not saying…" Tristan tried to interrupt but she kept going.

"I get it, I do. You should be cautious. But you won't always have Regan to hide behind." She stood up. Tristan stared at her, surprised by her audacity. "I gave up a lot recently, but I think that it was for the best. It took me a month to figure out what I wanted, but that's all I'm looking for right now. It's your turn to figure out what you want, and if it's me, then great, I'm in. If it's not, then it's been a great fling, and I hope you got what you needed out of it." She had her purse in her hand and was out the door before she could think about where she could possibly be going with no car. Tristan followed after her, but stopped in the doorway. She was standing in the driveway, her cell in her hand.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked from behind her as she took her phone and closed it. She didn't answer. "Come inside. Please?" She stood there for a long time before she gathered the composure to speak.

"You're not ready for this." She said, tears forming in her eyes. "You're unsure of yourself. You're thinking and overanalyzing. Damn it, you've turned into me." She said, laughing as she turned away from him, not wanting to cry in front of him. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back to face him. "Look, I know that you aren't the boy back at Chilton who didn't think twice before jumping, but I'm not that naïve and innocent girl either." She grabbed his hand. "A smart man once told me that love isn't supposed to be work." Tristan looked at the cement underneath his feet. "I just want someone who can just trust what they have is real and appreciate it for what it is. If I wanted anything else I would still be with Logan."

"What are you saying?" He let go of her hand to fold his arms across his chest.

"I don't know. Today for the first time in a long time, I was deliriously happy. Honestly. Maybe it was just playing house, but I felt like everything clicked. I want that. I want to bottle it up and keep it forever. And you don't want that, at least not right now."

"You're breaking up with me."

"No, I'm saying, let me know when you're ready, because I think you're worth the wait." A car pulled up and honked the horn. She kissed him on the cheek. Tristan was still standing there as the car pulled away.

OOOOO

"Thanks for coming Mia." She said as she started crying.

"Anything for you darling, you know that." Rory's cell phone kept ringing. She looked at it, saw it was from her mother and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Rory, where are you?"

"With Mia." Lorelei sighed.

"Tristan called me. He said you took off and didn't tell him where you were going or who you were leaving with. You weren't answering his calls. He was worried sick."

"I don't see why he would care."

"And why not?"

"He's not ready." Rory said, wiping the tears from her face. "I wanted him to be, but he's not. I couldn't sit there and pretend I didn't want more from him. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"You could never be, in any way, considered a horrible person." Lorelei said. "Will you at least call him and let him know that you are okay?"

"Will you call him for me? Please?" Rory asked. "I can't talk to him right now. I'm a mess." Mia sighed, her heart breaking at the sight before her.

"Let me talk to Mia first." Lorelei said. Rory handed the phone to Mia and began to cry.

"Hi."

"Mia, you are a lifesaver."

"Oh, you know I would do anything for that girl."

"I know, but if she were stuck in that house tonight I don't know what she would have done. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now, you better call him before he sends out a search party."

"Okay, I'll call you in the morning."

"Sounds good, bye dear." Mia handed the phone back to Rory.

"It wasn't supposed to go this way." Rory said, curling up on the couch.

"What wasn't?"

"My life. I could be married right now, in California. Instead I'm here, crying my eyes out over some guy I barely know."

"It sounds like this is exactly how your life was supposed to go. I think fate helped you out for a reason. You just have to wait and see where it leads you, because it obviously wasn't to California."

OOOOO

Tristan paced back and forth until Lorelei finally called him back. He jumped at the sound of the ringing and quickly answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's just me. She's fine and with a friend. Don't worry about her." Tristan sighed.

"Thanks Lorelei."

"What happened?"

"What?"

"What did you do to make my daughter cry?" She said, more protection in her voice than she originally planned.

"I don't know. We were sitting on the couch and I asked her where she saw this relationship going, because I was concerned about seeing her with such a long distance between us. The next thing I know, she's gone off on a monologue about happiness and trust." He sighed. "I didn't want to break up with her, but she did anyway." Lorelei heard the sadness in his voice. "She didn't think I wanted to be with her, which is ridiculous. I just, I can't be what she wants me to be. I'm a dad, you know? I have to be a little cautious."

"A little caution is good. Boy in the plastic bubble, however, is a little drastic. I know I'm not supposed to say this, being her mom and all, but Rory really likes you, loves you even, and I know that if you make even the slightest attempt to show her your feelings, she would come back to you. But you have to be ready before you do that, because I don't think her heart can take another break in it."

"Lorelei?"

"Yes."

"If you were in my shoes, what would you do?" She paused.

"I, thankfully, am not in your shoes. I never had my heart and soul taken from me. I left, defiantly and independently, and started my own life. I can't imagine what life has been like for you. But I also know that if I had someone as understanding and loving as Rory, who was willing to build her life around mine, I would have to think twice before letting her get away." Tristan nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep." Tristan laughed at the idea of sleeping tonight.

"Yeah." He said. "Not a chance." He added after hanging up the phone.


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

A/N: This is the last chapter. I hope you all know that Tristan made the right decision! Anyways, I hope you guys liked this story! This epilogue is snippets from the rest of their lives. I'm leaving stuff open for interpretation, because I think that it works. Don't hate me for it!

"Tristan, I'm late. Can you call me back later? Thanks, bye!" Rory yelled into the phone as she threw it on the couch. She grabbed her purse and ran towards the front door. She wrenched it open and ran into a hard body. She muttered an oomph.

"Falling for me Mary?" She looked up.

"What are you doing here?" She hit him.

"Taking my girls out on a date." He said, motioning to Regan who was standing behind him.

"Did you know about this?" Regan nodded.

"It was mostly Dad though." She was turning six soon and Rory still had a hard time believing it.

"You came all the way to Hartford for a date?" Rory asked as she let them into her apartment.

"It's your anniversary date." Regan said. Rory looked at her, then at Tristan.

"Oh my god." Rory said. "It is. I'm the worst girlfriend in the world."

"No, you aren't. Today was a busy day for you. I'd be surprised if you did remember." Tristan said. "Now go change. We'll wait." Rory kissed him.

"I won't be long." As soon as Rory went into her bedroom, Regan turned to her dad.

"Can I see it again?"

"Are you trying to get me caught? Shh." He reached into his pocket and showed her the ring.

"It's so pretty. I want mine to look that pretty."

"You aren't getting married. Ever." Tristan said with a wink. "I won't allow it." He stuffed the ring back in his pocket.

"Are you nervous?" She asked him. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"A little." Rory emerged then looking gorgeous.

"Wow." Regan said.

"How did you do that so fast?" He asked as he shut the door behind her.

"Lots of practice. Come on, let's go."

OOOOO

"She's not my mom, Dad! Not that I would know the difference between her and Rory, because I know nothing about her!" The words were clipped and muffled from the next room, but as the voices rose, Rory knew exactly what they were talking about. She was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for him to enter the room. It was their first big father-daughter fight and she knew that Tristan would be torn up about it, but she also knew that Regan was right. As Tristan came through the doors, he looked tired.

"I'm sorry." He said, as he realized that Rory heard their fight. She shrugged him off.

"Don't worry about it. She's thirteen."

"Don't remind me."

"You have to tell her." Tristan nodded as he sat down.

"I know."

"She, more than anyone else, deserves to know what happened."

"Will you be there?"

"No. This is between you and her. You don't need me there."

"I want you there." He said holding her hand. Rory shook her head and stood up.

"You have to do this one solo." She kissed the top of his head and went upstairs to talk to Regan. Knocking on the door, she entered to see her crying step-daughter on her bed.

"Go away!" She said, anger evident in her voice.

"No." Rory had never used that voice with Regan, ever. And it caught her by surprise. She sat down on the bed next to her and waited for her to talk.

"I hate him." Rory smiled.

"I know you do, but you have to look at this from his perspective. He made a _really_ bad decision on not telling you more about her. But he didn't do it on purpose. He loves you, more than anything in this world, including me." Regan looked up at her. "But he loved your mom so much, and to have her stolen away from the two of you like she was, it killed him. But it happened, and your dad had to put on a brave face and raise this little 6 month old baby who had no idea the kind of pain that he was experiencing. His life couldn't stop; he couldn't have bad days, so he just started living. He didn't talk about her, he just picked up and started getting through one day at a time."

"He still should have told me about her."

"Yes, he should have. And he will, from now on. But just remember when he comes up here how hard this is for him. Okay?" Regan nodded, giving a little on her anger. "Thank you." Rory said, standing up. "Now, if you want to go back to crying, I find that it always adds a little something extra." She winked and walked out, meeting Tristan on the stairs. She nodded to the bedroom and kept walking.

Tristan opened the door and saw Regan sitting on the edge of her bed with a tissue in her hand. He had caused this, and it killed him inside.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked. She didn't answer. "I'm sorry." He sat down on the bed as well.

"I don't know anything about her." Regan said, choking on her tears. "I have one picture, so I at least know that she had brown hair." Tristan closed his eyes.

"I honestly never realized that I hadn't told you anything about her. It's hard for me to imagine someone not knowing Jules."

"Then tell me about her now."

"Where should I start?" He asked.

"Tell me about that night." Tristan looked at her and laughed, seeing blunt Rory coming straight through Regan.

"What is it about the girls in this family?" He took a deep breath. "We were going to see a movie and it was the first night that we had left you alone. Jules was a wreck. She didn't want to leave you. She must have called Aunt Caroline four times during the movie." Tristan smiled. "Anyway, the last time was in the car on the way home. She hung up and I smiled and told her "See, I told you everything would be fine." Tristan swallowed the lump in his throat. "I patted her knee and she grabbed my hand and said, 'You never know.'" And then a car hit us, on the passenger side. They had run the stop light. The next thing I know, your mom is laying across my lap, but she's still, way too still. I couldn't move to touch her, there was a piece of metal, so I pushed it out of the way." He said, showing her the scar on his left palm. Regan wrapped her arms around his right arm and held him close to her. "I held her, until the paramedics came, convinced that they could do something. But she was already gone. She didn't suffer, it was almost instant." It got quiet as Tristan got lost in the memory for awhile. "I shouldn't have convinced her to go out that night. She felt that something was off and she was always right about those kinds of things."

"Daddy, you didn't know."

"I hate that you can't know her. You two are more alike than you could ever know."

"We are?" Tristan nodded.

"You know when you get angry, and you laugh, disbelievingly at whatever I'm telling you? She used to do that all the time. Occasionally you'll make a face or a motion and there's no mistaking it."

"Uncle Chad told me that once."

"It's true. But I want you to remember something for me, okay? Your mom loved you and she wouldn't want to leave you alone, but I think I've found a pretty good replacement in the mom department."

"You have." Regan nodded.

"Okay then. Now, go apologize to Rory for the things you said earlier." Regan nodded and stood up, hugging her dad.

"I don't hate you." She said.

"Thank you?" Tristan said, unsure of what that meant.

"You're welcome." She walked out of the room.

OOOOO

"How did it go?" Rory asked as he emerged from her room later.

"She said she didn't hate me."

"That's so sweet." Rory smiled. "That's teenage girl for 'You're my favorite person on Earth."

"I don't hate you?"

"Would you tell your dad that you didn't hate him at 13?" Tristan thought about it. "That's what I thought."

OOOOO

Rory was sitting in the living room reading when a car pulled up the drive. Glancing at the clock, she realized how late it was. A slowly turning doorknob indicated that Regan knew exactly how late it was as well.

"Hi." Rory said as Regan entered the room.

"Hi." She said, looking sheepish.

"Did you have fun?" Regan nodded.

"Where's Dad?"

"Don't worry, he's already sleeping." Setting down her purse, Regan sat down on the couch.

"Hey mom? Can I ask you something?" Rory put down her book.

"Anything, you know that."

"How does Dad feel about Jason?" Rory smiled.

"I think he likes him, as much as he can. Why?" Regan looked at her feet and smiled.

"He told me that he loved me tonight." Rory took a deep breath.

"And you said?"

"I love him. I mean, he makes me feel," Regan searched for the right word, "nervous." Rory laughed, remembering her childhood and Tristan's use of the word nervous throughout their lives.

"You truly are your father's daughter. The first time your dad asked me out, way back in high school? I turned him down of course," Regan giggled at the thought of her mother turning down her father. "but he said 'I think I make you nervous.' Little did I know that it was, in fact, the other way around. Then, the first time I came to visit you two, your dad taught you…"

"That nervous meant scared and excited, all at the same time." Regan finished it. "I remember. You taught me to put on makeup." Rory stared at her.

"I can't believe you remember that."

"Please, a girl never forgets her first introduction to cosmetics." She smiled. "And Jason most definitely makes me feel nervous, and all sorts of other things, all at the same time. I just want Daddy to like him."

"It's hard for him, because he knows exactly what it means to be a teenage boy. He just wants you to be protected. Speaking of which, do we still have a deal?" Her mother had to know in advance before anything happened, and Rory did too.

"Yes." Regan rolled her eyes. "Nothing has happened."

"Good. And your father just wants what's best for you."

"I know but does he have to do it so much? Jason is scared to death of him, which is actually really cute, you should see it." She started babbling as Rory listened and remembered what it was like to be in love and being completely unable to talk about anything else.

"I'll talk to him, ask him to tone it down a little."

"Thanks Mom." She said as Rory stood up.

"You're welcome. I'm going to bed, don't stay up too late okay? If your father suspects you've been out too late and I've let you back in… again." She pointed out. "He'll never let me hear the end of it." Regan nodded. Rory crawled into bed with her husband and thought about how much Regan had changed in the past year. She had truly grown up.

"Where have you been?" Tristan asked, looking at the clock.

"Talking to Regan. She's head over heels for Jason." Tristan shifted to face her.

"What?" He was awake now.

"They told each other they loved each other tonight. He makes her nervous." She smiled as she kissed his neck.

"She's seventeen. She doesn't know what love is."

"Did you or did you not say that you fell for me at sixteen." Tristan looked at her. "Let her be happy. Someday, she'll have her heart broken and be miserable, but for now, she's happy. And be nice to Jason, for her sake. You've been putting it on a little thick lately."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You did a good job raising her, she's not stupid. You don't have to worry, she's not sleeping with him."

"Shhh." He said, putting his hands over his ears. "Why would you even suggest that?"

"Because, she's got your genes, we all know she's not going to be a nun."

"Hush woman." He said, turning over so his back was to her. "Go to bed."

"Whatever you say." She said, smiling to herself.

OOOOO

Jason took a deep breath and opened the door. Inside the room was the smallest baby he had ever seen.

"You're here." Regan said with a tired smile. "Come meet your daughter." He kissed her forehead as she placed the child in his arms.

"Hey." He said with an exuberant smile. "I'm sorry I missed it, but you were early. That means you must take after my side of the family." Regan laughed and cried at the sight before her.

OOOOO

Meanwhile, back in the waiting room, Tristan and Rory were discussing the events that had unfolded.

"We're grandparents." Rory said, one more time.

"Don't say it like that, it makes me feel old." Tristan said. "I mean, our daughter, is a mother." He shook his head. "Where did that time go?"

"It went by fast." It got quiet as they both reflected on their past.

"Hey Ror," He said.

"Hmm?" She said, her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for teaching Regan how to be a good mother." Rory smiled, tearing up. "I don't know what we would have ever done without you."

"Thank you for being the best husband a woman could ask for." She said, giving him a kiss. "I'm just sorry that her mother isn't here."

"You _are_ here." He said, looking in her eyes.

"You guys, come meet your granddaughter." Jason said as he interrupted the moment. He was grinning like a fool.

"After you," Tristan said, letting Rory stand up first. She smiled as she took Jason by the arm.

"Let's go see your girls." Tristan watched as those words reverberated throughout his entire body. His girls were now somebody else's. With a smile, Rory turned around. "Are you coming?" She asked.

"I'll be right there." Rory stayed back. "I just need a second. It's hard to wrap my mind around my only daughter being referred to as someone else's." He took a breath as he opened the door. Laying there, holding her daughter, Regan once again looked just like her mother. Rory saw the face and pulled Jason out of the room, making up some excuse that Tristan didn't quite hear.

"Hey Grandpa." Regan smiled. "Wanna hold her?"

"I haven't done this since you were born." He said as he got closer.

"It's like riding a bike. I hope." She said as she handed off her daughter. He cradled her. "See, she likes you."

"What's her name?"

"Lorelei Julia DuGray Hutchins. Laura for short. Don't worry, the next one will be named after the grandfathers."

"We'll pray for a boy." He said with a laugh. "Hello Laura." Jason and Rory came back in with coffees in their hands.

"Here," Tristan said. "You should be spending time with your girls." He handed the new baby off to Jason.

"My girls. I like the sound of that." Jason said with a smile.


End file.
